Valve arrangement for receptacle filling machines



2 Sheets-Sheet 1 B. D. MILLER ETAL VALVE ARRANGEMENT FOR RECEPTACLE FILLING MACHINES Feb. 2, 1965 Filed March 6, 1961 F IG. 2

l/VVE/VTOHS BRUCE o. MILLER AND ROBERT L. SMITH ATTORNEY FIG.

Feb. 2, 1965 a. D. MILLER ETAL VALVE ARRANGEMENT FOR RECEPTACLE FILLING MACHINES 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 6. 1961 ATTORNE IN VE/V TORS BRUCE D MILLER AND ROBERT L. SMITH FIG.3

United States Patent ()fitice 3,168,225 Patented Feb. 2, 1965 3,168,225 VALVE ARRANGEMENT FQR RECEPTACLE FILLING MAKIHINES Bruce D. Miller and Robert L. Smith, both of Louisville, Ky., assignors to Chem-etron Corporation, Chicago, 11]., a corporation of Delaware Filed Mar. 6, 1961, Scr. No. 93,566 Claims. ((31. 222-380) This invention relates in general to receptacle filling machine of the rotary type, and more particularly to a valve arrangement for the filling machines.

An obstacle to proper measuring operations in receptacle filling machines are air pockets which prevent accurate pre-measuring of fluid materials for discharge into receptacles. Air causes variations in weight, falling or draining out of product from filler discharge spouts or nozzles and valve port housings, and to some extent limits the capacity of cylinders housing pistons for discharging and measuring the materials.

It is therefore a primary object of this invention to provide a receptacle filling machine free of air pocket interference, permitting accurate pre-measuring of fluid materials for discharge into receptacles at all times.

It is another object of this invention to provide a valve arrangement designed to prevent any drainage of product from a measuring pocket when a piston is stopped during its downward product discharge stroke and a receptacle is in place under a corresponding discharge port to receive the product.

A further object of this invention is to provide a valve controlling the opening and closing of ports to a reservoir and a discharge nozzle, that will open the discharge port when a given pressure is caused by a downward stroke ahead of the piston in a cylinder during a product discharge cycle causing said valve to close the discharge port should this pressure force stop resulting from stopping the filling machine before completion of the downward stroke of the piston, consequently preventing the discharging or draining of product into a receptacle when there is no pressure to maintain the discharge port open.

In carrying out the above objects it is contemplated that the valve arrangement described below in greater detail, be utilized in receptacle filling machines of the type described in US. Letters Patent 2,896,676, issued July 28, 1959 and applications Serial No. 795,711, filed February 26, 1959, now Patent 3,073,359; and Serial No. 39,887, filed June 30, 1960, now Patent 3,097,672. From these disclosures the basic structure and operation of a rotary receptacle filling machine are described and to which reference will hereafter be made.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become more apparent as the following description proceeds taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a sectional view through a cylinder and valve assembly as related to a rotary piston filler of the Minard type;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional view through the same valve assembly as shown in FIG. 1 with a valve in a fully closed position;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional view of the valve assembly with the valvein an open position for discharging product to a receptacle;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged sectional view of the valve assembly in a partially closed position indicative of a stopped movement of the piston during a filling cycle.

The receptacle filling machine incorporating the novel valve assembly of this invention is of the type described in Minard Patent 2,896,676, in Patent 3,073,359, and in Patent 3,097,672 referred to above. These patents describe a piston and valve type filling machine, wherein valves and pistons are reciprocated to discharge a measured amount of product into receptacles during a rotational movement. A gearing arrangement for rotating certain apparatus, and other general operations, together with the description of the apparatus may be found in the patent and application to which reference is made.

In FIG. 1 a section of a reservoir 1 more particularly described in Patent 2,896,676 has a bottom flange 2 through which an inlet port 4 is provided in a bushingcontaining bore 3. A valve port housing 5 is secured to the lower surface of the flange 2 and to an outer wall of a cylinder 8, to form a manifold or passageway 38. The port housing 5 has a threaded opening through which a discharge nozzle 6 is secured. The valve port housing 5 also has a flange 7 upon which is secured a cylinder 8 having a slidably fitted piston 9.

A guide block 10 is secured to the piston 9 and is slidable vertically in a slot 11 provided in the cylinder 8 to prevent rotational movement of the piston. A pin 13 extending through the guide block 10 utilized for securing block 10 to the piston 9, is also utilized for rotatably securing a roller 12 externally of the cylinder 8.

An upper flange 14 integral with the reservoir 1 provides a mounting for a plurality of valve guides 15, one for each corresponding cylinder 8. Each valve guide 15 is secured to the flange 14 by means of screws 16. The valve guide 15 is axially aligned with inlet port 4, and outlet port 4' in the nozzle 6 and a corresponding discharge port or outlet 41 in nozzle 6 which receives a valve or valve member 17. The valve 17 fit's freely through the valve guide 15 aswell as the spaced ports 4, 4' and 41.

Valve 17 is composed of a rectangular shaft 18 at the upper end of a valve stem 19. Valve stem 19 is attached to the shaft 18 by means of an extension 20 entering an opening 21 provided at the lower end of the shaft 18, and is secured by a pin 22 extending through a slot 23 to provide a pin and slot connection PS for enabling the limited slidability of the stem 19 of the valve 17 a distance equal to the length of slot 23. At the lower end of the valve stem 19 an enlarged hub like closure 24 having oppositely tapered ends 25 and 26 is 'a part of and concentric with the stem 19. The outside diameter of closure 24 provides a free fit within the bore of port 4 providing communication with the reservoir. stem member 27 concentrically located below the hub 24 has a diameter which fits freely in the upper bore "or outlet port 4' of discharge nozzle 6. The length of stem member 27 is equal to the length of an annular pocket or cavity 39 in the discharge nozzle 6. A plug -40 is formed on the stem member 27 by a reduced diameter portion 28 between opposing faces29 and 30 of the stem member 27 and plug'40 respectively. The annular pocket 39 provided in the nozzle 6 has an area circumscribing a portion of the stem member 27 equal to the cross sectional area of stem 27 when the valve is closed, as illustrated in FIG. 2.

On the upper end of shaft 18 is secured a plate 31 preferably of carbon steel, for magnetic attraction to a semicircular ring of permanent magnets, one of which is shown at 32. To limit the distance the valve 1 7 may be 'raised to prevent'frictional engagement between the plate 31 and the magnets 32, a roller 34 is attached to the shaft 18 by means of a shaft 33'and is guided by a cam track 36 along a circular path while maintaining an air gap between the plates 31 and 32 during rotational movement of the valve and connected parts. The ma netic assembly arrangement is more fully described in Patent 3,097,672.

The numeral 37 represents a fluid, in particular a fluid product in the reservoir 1 for filling receptacles being fed :below the discharge nozzles 6. A passageway or manifold 38 forms communication between the reservoir 1 and cylinder 8 through the bore of port 4 and further communication from the cylinder to receptacles is had through the various bores of discharge nozzle 6 including ports 4', and 41. t

The operation of the assembly is as follows:

It will be assumed that piston 9 is in its lowest'position at the start of a cycle and that valve 17 is at rest with the bottom face of its plug 40 flush with the bottom of nozzle 6, as seen in FIG. 2. In this position, the enlarged closure 24 is substantially vertically below the port 4 so that there is unobstructed communication between reservoir 1 and cylinder 8 permiting flow of the fluid product 37 into manifold 38. Furthermore, in this position, the shaft 18 is at its lowermost position with the bottom of slot 23 stopped against pin 22.

Upon the piston 9 being raised in cylinder 8 through action of roller 12 on its circular raising track 12, the fluid product 37 is withdrawn from reservoir 1 through port 4 and manifold '38 into the space vacated by the upward travel of piston 9 in cylinder 8. The piston 9 selectively meters the fluid from the passageway 38 into the cylinder 8 during the cycle when the closure 24 opens the port 4 and thereafter discharges the 'fluid from the cylinder 8 during the cycle when the closure 24 closes the port 4 to create fluid pressurein the passageway 38. The upward distance the piston 9 travels is predetermined and adusted accordingly to the amount of product desired for discharge into each receptacle.

Piston 9 upon reaching the top of its predetermined stroke and a receptacle (not shown) to be filled being in position under thedischarge port 41 of nozzle 6, the val-ve-17 is raised by mechanical actuating means 36' until roller 34 engages the cam track 36 in a manner described in Patent 3,073,359. In this position valve 17 will assume a position as illustrated in FIG. 4 in which pin 22 will be at the top of slot 23, and closure 24 will have just entered port 4 while the face 29 of stem member 27 is about to leave the uppermost bore of the discharge nozzle 6. This movement of the valve from its lowermost to itsuppermost position takes'place while the piston 9 is substantially at rest at the top of the stroke. yalve 17 is held in its upper position by the attraction from the semicircular ring of permanent magnets 32 acting on the plate 31 securedto the top of shaft 18 in a manner described in Patent 3,097,672. In this upper position of the valve, no product can escape either through ports 4, 4' or the discharge port 41 of nozzle 6 as all three ports are substantially closed by the plugs 24,

27 and 40 fitting these respective ports.

As the piston 9 is moved downward by a cam track 12' engaging roller 12 in a manner described in Patent 2,896,- 676, a substantial pressure is built u-pin the manifold 38. This pressure exerts a force against the surface 26 of the valve hub 24, and when the pressure overcomes the weight of the valve assembly 17, the valve is forced upward, withthe slot 23 sliding upward on pin'22 and the closure 24 sliding along the port 4 as the face 29 rises away from the upper bore of the discharge nozzle 6. Plug 40thus moves upward into the central portion of the annular space 39. Thus, the discharge port is open so that product can bedischarged into an underlying container as the piston continues downward.

In the product discharging position the valve plug 40 is completely within the annular space 39 so that the product is free to pass through. This annular space is provided, so that the pressure required to lift the valve is not excessive causing product to discharge at too great a velocity and splash from the receptacle receiving the product. By providing this enlarged annular space 39 around the head of plug 40, the product velocity is re- --lieved'since-the closure 40 serves as a baflie and the fluid product exits into the receptacle without excessive force. Should the rotational travel of piston 9 be stopped during its downward movement, the pressure required to hold valve 17 in its uppermost position is eliminated, and the weight of the valve assembly causes the valve to drop to the position illustrated in FIG. 4. In this latter position the plugs 24, 27 and 40 close off the ports 4, 4' and 41 respectively, although the shaft 18 is not lowered away from the holding magnets 32.

When the piston 9 is again started on its rotational orbit, the downward movement of the piston will be con tinued and the valve assembly will again rise by pressure building up below hub 24 to resume flow of the product through the discharge outlet 41 of nozzle 6. It should be understood however that since there are a plurality of pistons and valves involved, when the filling machine is stopped each piston will have assumed different positions. Therefore, each piston would or would not have discharged an amount of product corresponding to the stroke taken by'each, and the remaining amount necessary to fill each receptacle to the predetermined level will occur only when the machine is restarted. Thus, when the piston reaches its lowermost position, the shaft 18 is mechanically returned to its lower position in a manner described in Patent 3,073,359. I

While one specific and preferred form of the valve arrangement forfilling machines has been illustrated and described, it will be understood that other forms will be suggested to those skilled in the art and that it is intended to include all .such that do not depart from the spirit of this invention within its scope as bestdefined in the appended claims wherein there is claimed:

1. In a receptacle filling machine: an inlet port, an outlet port and a discharge port, said inlet port leading from a source of fluid supply, a cylinder, a piston slidable in said cylinder during its intake and discharge strokes, an enlarged cavity leading from said outlet port, said discharge port leading from said enlarged cavity, a movable valve member having a first closure for closing said inlet port, a second closure for closing said outlet port and a third closure for closing said discharge port, said first, second and third closures being disposed on said movable -valve member relative to said inlet, outlet and discharge ports to open said inlet port and close said outlet and discharge ports in a first position, to close all said inlet, outlet and discharge ports in a second position and to close said inlet'port and open said outlet and discharge ports in a third position, means for actuating said movable valve member from the first position to the second position, means for enabling relative movement between said valve member and said valve member actuating means to enable said valve member to move from the second position to the third position and from the third position to the second position, said first closure having a portion against which fluid pressure in said passageway acts during the discharge stroke of said piston to move said valve member from the second position to the third position, means for actuating said piston, said valve memher being returned to the second position from the third position should said piston cease to complete its discharge stroke.

2. In a receptacle filling machine: an inlet port and an outlet port, said inlet port leading froma source of fluid supply, a passageway connecting said inlet and outlet ports, means for metering fluid from said passageway during an intake stroke and for discharging the fluid into said passageway under fluid pressure during a discharge stroke, closure means movable between three discrete positions, said inlet port being open and said outclosed when said closure means is in a first position, both said inlet and outlet ports being closed when said closure means is in a second position, and said inlet port being closed and said outlet port being open when said closure means is in a third position, closure actuating means for actuating said closure means from the first position .to the second position, means for I enabling relative movement between said closure means" and said closure actuating means to enable said closure means to move from the second position into the third position and from the third position into the second position, said enabling means including a pin and slot connection, said closure means having a portion against which fluid pressure in said passageway acts to move said closure means from the second position into the third position, means for actuating said metering and discharging means, said closure means being returned to the second position from the third position when said metering and discharging means ceases to maintain suflicient fluid pressure against said portion of said closure means.

3. In a receptacle filling machine: an inlet port and an outlet port, said inlet port leading from a source of fluid supply, a passageway connecting said inlet and outlet ports, means for metering fluid from said passageway during an intake stroke and for discharging the fluid into said passageway under fluid pressure during a discharge stroke, closure means vertically movable between three discrete positions, said inlet port being open and said outlet port being closed when said closure means is in a first position, both said inlet and outlet ports being closed when said closure means is in a sec ond position, and said inlet port being closed and said outlet port being open when said closure means is in a third position, closure actuating means for actuating said closure means from the first position to the second posi tion, means for enabling relative movement between said closure means and said closure actuating means to enable said closure means to move from the second position into the third position and from the third position into the second position, said closure means having a portion against which fluid pressure in said passageway acts to move into closure means vertically upward against the force of gravity from the second position into the third position, means for actuating said metering and discharging means, said closure means being returned by gravity to the second position from the third position when said metering and discharging means ceases to maintain sufiici-ent fluid pressure against said portion of said closure means.

4. In a receptacle filling machine: an inlet port and an outlet port, said inlet port leading from a source of fluid supply, a passageway connecting said inlet and outlet ports, means for metering fluid from said passageway during :an intake stroke and for discharging the fluid into said passageway under fluid pressure during a dis charge stroke, closure means movable between three discrete positions, said inlet port being open and said outlet port being closed when said closure means is in a first position, both said inlet and outlet ports being closed when said closure means is in a second position, and said inlet port being closed and said outlet port being open when said closure means is in a third position, closure actuating means for actuating said closure means from the first position to the second position, means for enabling relative movement between said closure means and said closure actuating means to enable said closure means to move from the second position into the third position and from the third position into the second position, .said closure means having a portion against which fluid pressure in said passageway acts to move said closure means from the second posit-ion into the third position, means for actuating said metering and discharging means, said closure means being returned to the second position from the third position when said metering and discharging means ceases to maintain sufiicient fluid pressure against said portion of said closure means.

5. In a receptacle filling machine: an inlet port, and an outlet port, said inlet port leading from a source of fluid supply, a cylinder, a piston slidable in said cylinder during intake and discharge strokes, a pasageway connecting said inlet port, said outlet port and said cylinder, closure means movable between three discrete positions, said inlet port being open and said outlet port being closed when said closure means is in a first position, both said inlet and outlet ports being closed when said closure means is in a second position, and said inlet port being closed and said outlet port being open when said closure means is in a third position, closure actuating means for actuating said closure means from the first position to the second position, means for enabling relative movement between said closure means and said closure actuating means to enable said closure means to move from the second position to the third position and from the third position to the second position, said closure means having a portion against which fluid pressure in said passageway acts during the discharge stroke of said piston to move said closure means from the second position into the third position, means for actuating said piston, said closure means being returned to the second position from the third position should said piston cease to complete its discharge stroke.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,684,804 Huntar et al July 27, 1954 2,896,676 Minard July 28, 1959 3,017,894 Chilcoat Jan. 23, 1962 3,073,359 Albrecht et al. Jan. 15, 1963 

1. IN A RECEPTACLE FILLING MACHINE: AN INLET PORT, AN OUTLET PORT AND A DISCHARGE PORT, SAID INLET PORT LEADING FROM A SOURCE OF FLUID SUPPLY, A CYLINDER, A PISTON SLIDABLE IN SAID CYLINDER DURING ITS INTAKE AND DISCHARGE STROKES, AN ENLARGED CAVITY LEADING FROM SAID OUTLET PORT, SAID DISCHARGE PORT LEADING FROM SAID ENLARGED CAVITY, A MOVABLE VALVE MEMBER HAVING A FIRST CLOSURE FOR CLOSING SAID INLET PORT, A SECOND CLOSURE FOR CLOSING SAID OUTLET PORT AND A THIRD CLOSURE FOR CLOSING SAID DISCHARGE PORT, SAID FIRST, SECOND AND THIRD CLOSURES BEING DISPOSED ON SAID MOVABLE VALVE MEMBER RELATIVE TO SAID INLET, OUTLET AND DISCHARGE PORTS TO OPEN SAID INLET PORT AND CLOSE SAID OUTLET AND DISCHARGE PORTS IN A FIRST POSITION, TO CLOSE ALL SAID INLET, OUTLET AND DISCHARGE PORTS IN A SECOND POSITION AND TO CLOSE SAID INLET PORT AND OPEN SAID OUTLET AND DISCHARGE PORTS IN A THIRD POSITION, MEANS FOR ACTUATING SAID MOVABLE VALVE MEMBER FROM THE FIRST POSITION TO THE SECOND POSITION, MEANS FOR ENABLING RELATIVE MOVEMENT BETWEEN SAID VALVE MEMBER AND SAID VALVE MEMBER ACTUATING MEANS TO ENABLE SAID VALVE MEMBR TO MOVE FROM THE SECOND POSITION TO THE THIRD POSITION AND FROM THE THIRD POSITION TO THE SECOND POSITION, SAID FIRST CLOSURE HAVING A PORTION AGAINST WHICH FLUID PRESSURE IN SAID PASSAGEWAY ACTS DURING THE DISCHARGE STROKE OF SAID PISTON TO MOVE SAID VALVE MEMBER FROM THE SECOND POSITION TO THE THIRD POSITION, MEANS FOR ACTUATING SAID PISTON, SAID VALVE MEMBER BEING RETURNED TO THE SECOND POSITION FROM THE THIRD POSITION SHOULD SAID PISTON CEASE TO COMPLETE ITS DISCHARGE STROKE. 